London, Jan 7 (IANS): Try changing the colour of the plate you eat from to lose weight, a new study says.

It helps in cutting the portion size of your diet if you change the colour of your eating plate from white to some brighter shades, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

A study published in the Journal of Consumer Research reveals that the more significant the contrast between the colour of the food on the plate and the colour of the plate itself, the less likely we will overload the plate.

The research shows that the actual colours of the food or the plates make no difference; what matters is the difference between the two.

For example, if you present pasta covered in a red tomato sauce on a red plate or plain white rice on a white plate, you'll over serve, however, if you serve the mentioned pasta on a white plate and put the rice on a red plate, the portions will be smaller.

“The research is clear, from the age of about four, we eat with our eyes, not our stomachs. With these kind of visual, environmental cues that can be easily integrated in a lifestyle, people can mindlessly lose weight in a way that leads to permanent change,” Melina Jampolis, one of the known physician nutrition specialist, told the Forbes magazine.